Traffic stop yields cocaine, marijuana

By Wes Wolfe / Staff writer

Published: Wednesday, March 5, 2014 at 07:01 PM.

When an officer with the Kinston Department of Public Safety pulled into the C-Mart parking lot Tuesday afternoon, it was only a matter of time until the suspect would be pulled over and searched on drug possession allegations.

Around 3:40 p.m., a KDPS detective advised there was a tan Honda Accord with black rims in the area of the 1600 block of Hull Road. The passenger in the vehicle was believed to be in possession of controlled substances.

According to the report, the responding officer watched as the car and its two occupants moved from the gas pumps to the convenience store and back to the gas pumps, before eventually taking Hull Road to its intersection with West Vernon Avenue.

At that point, the officer conducted a traffic stop and obtained identification from the driver, but the passenger, Elester Chris Rhodes, said he didn’t have an ID on him, though he gave the officer his name and date of birth.

When an officer with the Kinston Department of Public Safety pulled into the C-Mart parking lot Tuesday afternoon, it was only a matter of time until the suspect would be pulled over and searched on drug possession allegations.

Around 3:40 p.m., a KDPS detective advised there was a tan Honda Accord with black rims in the area of the 1600 block of Hull Road. The passenger in the vehicle was believed to be in possession of controlled substances.

According to the report, the responding officer watched as the car and its two occupants moved from the gas pumps to the convenience store and back to the gas pumps, before eventually taking Hull Road to its intersection with West Vernon Avenue.

At that point, the officer conducted a traffic stop and obtained identification from the driver, but the passenger, Elester Chris Rhodes, said he didn’t have an ID on him, though he gave the officer his name and date of birth.

After returning to the vehicle and asking for permission to perform a search, the driver consented and the officer searched her, then asked Rhodes if he had anything illegal with him.

According to the report, Rhodes initially told the officer no, but allowed a search.

The search turned up a dollar bill that had been balled up and contained what Rhodes later admitted was cocaine, after first saying it was only a pill he’d broken up. The search also turned up a digital scale with what was believed to be marijuana residue.

Once the officer asked if Rhodes had anything else, he said “OK, I’m going to give it to you,” and pulled from the rear of his waistband a plastic bag containing three baggies of marijuana.

Rhodes was charged with felony possession with intent to manufacture, sell and deliver marijuana, felony possession of cocaine and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

He was booked into the W.E. “Billy” Smith Detention Center under a $24,000 bond.

Rhodes has a number of other cases in Lenoir County that have yet to be disposed, including two different instances of felony possession with intent to sell and deliver marijuana and felony possession with intent to sell and deliver cocaine, along with felony possession of a firearm by a felon, felony possession, selling or buying a gun with an altered serial number and misdemeanor resisting a public officer.

Wes Wolfe can be reached at 252-559-1075 and Wes.Wolfe@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter @WolfeReports.